Here's how it works: Subscribers of participating wireless carriers can donate $5 to relief efforts simply by text messaging keyword "GIVE" to "2HELP" (24357). The donations will appear on customers' monthly bills or be debited from prepaid account balances and 100 percent of the donation will go directly to the Red Cross.
Text 2HELP was initially created to aid Hurricane Katrina relief assistance. The donation program is initiated whenever a natural disaster occurs and an American Red Cross assessment determines its relief effort will require a substantial level of support. Such is the case with the Florida tornado and storms. Text 2HELP has been activated and contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund will be accepted through April 2. Money from the fund is used to provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the tornadoes in Central Florida.
Trained Red Cross disaster workers have provided more than 38,357 meals and snacks, distributed more than 3,500 comfort and clean-up kits, and delivered 11,800 bulk items to tornado victims in Lake, Sumter, and Volusia counties. The mobile relief is being carried out by a fleet of 38 Emergency Response Vehicles which operate as feeding stations, bulk distribution centers, and community aid stations offering health and mental health services.
Wireless carriers participating in Text 2HELP are AT&T/Cingular, Alltel, Boost Mobile, Dobson Communications Corporation, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. VeriSign is powering the intelligent messaging infrastructure to enable the short message service.
